Ryan Bavin

Ryan Bavin was born and raised in the Columbia Valley of BC. His father, Pat, started Bavin glassworks in 1988 where Ryan began his apprenticeship that lasted for 8 years. He then moved on to the world-renowned Pilchuk Glass School in Stanwood, WA. He has been invited back several times as a teacher and gaffer (the lead glass blower) working for and with respected glass artists from Canada and other nations.

A love of adventure and the elements of nature, both flora and fauna, helps feed the imagery he uses in his glass works. Learning photography & fly-fishing from his grandfather, Ryan is always developing new ideas to translate into glass. Hence, the Summit Series where his experience as a certified mountain guide has spurred the idea to create landscape scenes in glass vessels.

ARTIST STATEMENT:“Although much of the work I make has some connection with living and working in the mountains, I haven't really focused specifically on mountain imagery in the past. I've been working on new ideas for mountain imagery for well over a year now. The early pieces in this series were produced in early 2017. Now, with some refinements and more exploration, I feel they are starting get where I really want them to be.

The process is an interesting one that rides the line between technique and intuition. Glass can be a frustrating material to work with but also very rewarding when it comes together. What makes these new pieces different from anything I've made in the past is the use of colour. There is a lot of glass colour used in each of these pieces, as well, the colours are separated by layers of clear glass. Using the clear to separate the colour helps to give the sense of depth with the imagery. Although I do have some control of how the colour is applied, there is definitely some guess work in trying to make it look like something specific. Many of the manipulations of the colour are purely spur of the moment, intuitive movements. As a result, this and the different chemistry in the varying colours of glass, nothing ever works out the same. For me this is part of the excitement of each of these pieces.”